Appellate Court Rules in Favor of Harvest House and Its Authors, John Ankerberg and John Weldon
On January 5, 2006, the Court
of Appeals for the First District of Texas issued an opinion in favor of Harvest
House Publishers and authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon, dismissing a $136
million libel lawsuit that The Local Church and its publishing arm, Living
Stream Ministry, had filed in December 2001 in relation to the book Encyclopedia
of Cults and New Religions.
The Appellate Court’s
decision, written by Chief Justice Sherry Radack, ruled that “the allegedly
libel[ous] statements are not defamatory, as a matter of law,” and, “We reverse
the judgment of the trial court and render judgment that the [Local] church take
nothing from the publisher and authors.” The full decision can be read at http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/ruling.pdf.
In their suit, The Local
Church claimed that the Encyclopedia accused their group of criminal and
immoral conduct. However, Harvest House and the authors have contended all
along that the book does not and never intended to attribute such activity to The
Local Church. Rather, the authors included the 1¼–page chapter on the Local Church’s teachings in the Encyclopedia based on the book’s definition of a religious
cult: “a separate religious group generally claiming compatibility with
Christianity but whose doctrines contradict those of historic Christianity....”
Though The Local Church insisted
this case was not about being labeled a “cult,” they contended that by their
mere inclusion in the Encyclopedia, and because the Introduction
mentioned misdeeds committed by some unspecified cults, their group stood
accused of any conduct that happened to be mentioned in the Introduction. Thus,
they alleged, the book was libelous. But the Court pointed out that the Encyclopedia
centers on doctrinal and apologetic issues, and “that being labeled a
‘cult’ is not actionable because the truth or falsity of the statement depends
upon one’s religious beliefs, an ecclesiastical matter, which cannot and should
not be tried in a court of law.”
As for the criminal conduct
mentioned in the Introduction, the Appellate Court decisively ruled, “No
reasonable reader could conclude that the book accuses the [Local] church...of
rape, murder, child molestation, drug smuggling, etc....The allegedly libelous
statements in the Introduction are not ‘of and concerning’ the [Local] church
and are not actionable.”
John Ankerberg and John
Weldon, in a joint statement, said, “We are thankful that the Court saw the
issues with great clarity and ruled accordingly, because throughout the case,
The Local Church has persistently accused us of making horrendous charges
against them and have misrepresented the contents of the Encyclopedia.” The
authors continued, “Though The Local Church clearly desires acceptance within evangelical
Christianity, suing those who critique their teachings is not the way to gain
it, but rather, dealing with the unorthodox teachings that exist in their
publications. We care deeply about the people within The Local Church, and
though we disagree with them doctrinally, we uphold their right to publish and
teach as they choose.”
Bob Hawkins, Jr., president
of Harvest House Publishers, adds, “We hope this ruling will encourage other
authors, publishers, and broadcasters to stand strong in their convictions and
to continue engaging in responsible dialogue concerning controversial topics
without fear of intimidating lawsuits.” Hawkins went on to say, “We have been
encouraged by many people who have been praying for us, and we’ve been humbled
by the wonderful support we received from media groups and publishers who filed
friend–of–the–court briefs on our behalf. Ultimately, we are thankful that we
have had the opportunity to experience in profoundly deep ways the faithfulness
of God.”
The entire Corporate Statement is available in PDF format here.
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